Spinning-reel reciprocating device

ABSTRACT

A dense-winding capable oscillating mechanism that holds down manufacturing costs and ensures easy manufacturing precision. The spinning reel oscillating mechanism ( 6 ), for reciprocating the spool back and forth in cooperation with rotation of the handle attached to the reel unit-to which a fishing-line-guiding rotor is rotatively fitted-includes a pinion gear ( 12 ), a stepped gear unit ( 13 ) and a shifting mechanism ( 17 ). The pinion gear ( 12 ) rotates in cooperation with handle rotation. The stepped gear unit ( 13 ) includes a larger-diameter gear ( 19 ) meshing with the pinion gear ( 12 ) and a smaller-diameter gear ( 20 ) disposed concentric with the larger-diameter gear ( 19 ), for rotating unitarily with the larger-diameter gear ( 19 ). The shifting mechanism ( 17 ) has a driven gear ( 16 ) meshing with the smaller-diameter gear ( 20 ), and reciprocates the spool by rotation of the driven gear ( 16 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to reciprocating devices, and inparticular to spinning-reel reciprocating devices that pump the spoolback and forth in cooperation with rotation of the handle.

2. Description of Related Art

Spinning-reel transverse-cam oscillating mechanisms (one example of areciprocating device) include a driven gear meshing with a pinion gear,a threaded shaft, and a slider meshing with the threaded shaft. Thethreaded shaft is mounted to the front end of the driven gear andarranged in parallel with the spool shaft. The spool shaft is mounted tothe slider and is axially immobile with respect to the slider.

In this transverse cam oscillating mechanism, the amount that the spoolis shifted per rotation of the rotor depends on the lead angle of thethreaded shaft. This means that the largeness of the inter-windinginterval keeps the fishing line from winding on very efficiently.

JP H11-86A (1999) discloses an oscillating mechanism in which the amountthat the spool is shifted back and forth per rotation of the handle isdecreased, so that the fishing line can be wound densely onto the spool.The oscillating mechanism is provided with: a linking shaft disposedalong an axis skew with the pinion gear so as to orient toward. thethreaded shaft; a screw gear fixed to one end of the linking shaft andmeshing with the pinion gear; a worm gear fixed to the other end of thelinking shaft; and a worm wheel fitted non-rotatably to the threadedshaft and meshing with the worm gear. The linking shaft, linking thepinion gear and the threaded shaft, is arranged diagonally in the reelunit along an axis skew with the pinion gear to serve to make the reelunit thinner.

The above-noted conventional configuration utilizes the worm gear, andthe worm wheel that meshes with the worm gear, for gearing-down in orderto wind densely, meaning that special gears difficult to machine areused, which makes manufacturing costs high. Furthermore, because thelinking shaft is disposed diagonally to link the pinion gear and thethreaded gear, the linking shaft and the threaded shaft have to beestablished in different directions, and the bearings that support themalso have to be established in the different directions. Establishingtwo types of bearings in the different directions makes guaranteeingmachining precision difficult, elevating machining costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is in holding down manufacturingcosts and readily ensuring manufacturing precision in a reciprocatingmechanism that enables dense winding.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a spinning reelreciprocating device for shifting a spool back and forth when turning ahandle attached to a reel unit of the spinning reel to which a rotor,onto which fishing line is guided, is mounted rotatively includes adrive gear, a stepped gear unit and a shifting means. The drive gearrotates when the handle is rotated. The stepped gear unit includes alarger-diameter gear meshing with the drive gear and a smaller-diametergear arranged concentrically to the larger-diameter gear and rotatingtogether with the larger-diameter gear. The shifting means, which has adriven gear meshing with the smaller-diameter gear, is for shifting thespool back and forth by rotating the driven gear.

In this reciprocating device, the drive gear rotates as a result ofturning the handle. When the drive gear rotates, its rotation istransmitted to the larger-diameter gear of the stepped gear unit, andthe smaller-diameter gear rotates together with the larger-diametergear. When the smaller-diameter gear rotates, its rotation istransmitted to the driven gear, and the spool is shifted back and forthwith the shifting means. Thus, rotation deceleration and the shifting ofthe spool is accomplished with a stepped gear unit of simple structure,so that it is not necessary to use any special gears, and themanufacturing costs can be kept down. The rotational axis of the steppedgear unit is arranged in parallel to the rotational axes of the drivegear and the driven gear, so that it is easy to ensure a highmanufacturing precision.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in areciprocating device as in the first aspect, the drive gear is a piniongear rotating around a spool shaft that can be shifted back and forthwith respect to the reel unit, the spool being mounted to the tip of thespool shaft. The shifting means includes (i) a threaded shaft arrangedin parallel to the spool shaft, the driven gear being attachednon-rotatively to the threaded shaft, and intersecting helical groovesbeing formed in a surface of the threaded shaft, and (ii) a slidingelement that can be shifted back and forth with respect to the reelunit, and has an engager engaging with the helical grooves. The spoolshaft is mounted to the sliding element and cannot be shifted back andforth with respect to the sliding element. In this configuration, therotational axis of the pinion gear, which is the drive gear and extendshorizontally, as well as the rotational axis of the stepped gear unit,and the threaded shaft are arranged in parallel, so that the spinningreel can be made flat by arranging them vertically one above the other.Moreover, a compact vertical size can be achieved by arranging themhorizontally next to one another.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a reciprocatingdevice as in the first aspect, the rotor includes a barrel portion, anda pair of rotor arms extending frontward from a rear end of the barrelportion. The reel unit has a tubular portion extending into the barrelportion, and the stepped gear unit is arranged inside the tubularportion. With this configuration, the relatively large diameter steppedgear unit is arranged in the tubular portion extending into the barrelportion of the rotor, so that using space efficiently, the reel can bemade flatter.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in areciprocating device as in the first aspect, the drive gear is providedon a main gear shaft mounted rotatively in the reel unit, and rotatestogether with the handle. The shifting means includes a cam pinprotruding from a lateral face of the driven gear, and a sliding elementthat can be shifted back and forth with respect to the reel unit and hasa cam groove engaging the cam pin. The spool is attached to the frontend of a spool shaft, which can be shifted back and forth with respectto the reel unit, and which is mounted to the sliding element withrespect to which it cannot be shifted back and forth. With thisconfiguration, the rotation is transmitted by three parallel rotationalaxes extending from left to right in the reel unit, so that the reelunit can be easily made thinner.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a reciprocatingdevice as in any of the first to third aspects, the number of teeth onthe drive gear is smaller than the number of teeth on thelarger-diameter gear. This configuration achieves gearing-down betweenthe shifting gear and the larger-diameter gear.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a reciprocatingdevice as in the fifth aspect, the number of teeth on the driven gear islarger than the number of teeth on the smaller-diameter gear. With thisconfiguration, deceleration between the driven gear and thesmaller-diameter gear is achieved, and a large gear-down ratio isattained.

From the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, the foregoing and other objects, features,aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readilyapparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a spinning reel in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, taken from the left;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II—II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the oscillating mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the oscillatingmechanism;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line V—V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a spinning reel in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention, taken from the left;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line VII—VII in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the oscillating mechanism in the otherembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Overall Configuration and Configuration of the Reel Unit

As shown in FIG. 1, a spinning reel in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention includes a reel unit 2, a rotor 3, a spool 4, anda handle 1 that is rotatively supported by the reel unit 2. The rotor 3is rotatively supported at the front of the reel unit 2. Fishing line iswound around the outer peripheral surface of the spool 4, which isdisposed to permit shifting back and forth on the front of the rotor 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reel unit 2 includes a reel body 2 aprovided with an opening 2 c on its side, a T-shaped rod attachment leg2 b extending diagonally upward to the front from the reel body 2 a andformed unitarily therewith, and a lid 2 d closing the opening 2 c in thereel body 2 a.

The reel body 2 a has a space inside, which accommodates a rotor drivingmechanism 5 and an oscillating mechanism 6. The rotor driving mechanism5 transmits the rotation of the handle 1 to rotate the rotor 3. Theoscillating mechanism 6 is for uniformly winding on fishing line byshifting the spool 4 back and forth.

At the front of the reel body 2 a, a circular flange portion 2 e isformed with the lid 2 d covering the rear of the rotor 3. A tubularportion 2 f protruding into the rotor 3 is formed at the front of theflange portion 2 e. A partition wall 2 g is formed inside the tubularportion 2 f, and tubular spaces are formed on either side of thepartition wall 2 g.

Configuration of the Rotor

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotor 3 includes a barrel portion 30 the rearend of which is open, and first and second rotor arms 31 and 32,disposed in opposition to one another at the sides of the barrel portion30. The barrel portion 30 and the two rotor arms 31 and 32 are formedunitarily.

The barrel portion 30 is disposed to the outer peripheral side of thetubular portion 2 f of the reel body 2 a. The open rear portion of thebarrel portion 30 is covered by the flange portion 2 e. A front wall 33is formed on the front part of the barrel portion 30, and a boss portion33 a is formed in the center of the front wall 33. A front portion 12 aof the pinion gear 12 and the spool shaft 15 are passed through athrough-hole in the boss portion 33 a. A nut 34 is disposed at the frontof the front wall 33, and this nut 34 fastens the rotor 3 to the piniongear 12 by screwing it to a threaded portion at the front end of thepinion gear 12.

A bail arm 44 for guiding the fishing line to the spool 4 is provided onthe tips of the first and second rotor arms 31 and 32, pivotable betweena line-winding position and a line-releasing position.

A reverse rotation check mechanism 50 for the rotor 3 is provided in thespace in front of the partition wall 2 g in the barrel portion 30 of therotor 3. This reverse rotation check mechanism 50 has a roller-typeone-way clutch 51 and an operating mechanism for switching the one-wayclutch 51 between an operating state and a non-operating state. Theone-way clutch 51 has an outer ring fastened to the reel body 2 a and aninner ring mounted non-rotatively to the pinion gear 12. The operatingmechanism 52 includes an operating lever 53 disposed on the rear of thereel body 2 a. The one-way clutch 51 can be switched between its twopositions by pivoting the operating lever 53. When the one-way clutch 51is in the operating state, the rotor 3 cannot rotate in reverse, andwhen it is in the non-operating state, the rotor 3 can rotate inreverse.

Configuration of the Spool

The spool 4 is arranged between the first rotor arm 31 and the secondrotor arm 32 of the rotor 3, and is fastened to the front end of thespool shaft 15 with the drag mechanism 60 interposed between the spoolshaft 15 and the spool 4. The spool 4 includes a bobbin trunk portion 4a circumferentially around which fishing line is wound, a skirt portion4 b formed unitarily with the rear of the bobbin trunk portion 4 a, anda flange portion 4 c attached to the front of the bobbin trunk portion 4a. The bobbin trunk portion 4 a is a cylindrical member extending to theouter peripheral side of the barrel portion 30 of the rotor 3. The skirtportion 4 b and the front flange portion 4 c extend radially outwardperpendicularly from both sides of the bobbin trunk portion 4 a. Thus,the number of windings per layer of fishing line is approximately thesame when the fishing line is being wound around the bobbin trunkportion 4 a of the spool 4.

Configuration of the Rotor Driving Mechanism

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotor driving mechanism 5 includes a maingear shaft 10, a main gear 11 and a pinion gear 12. The main gear 11rotates together with the main gear shaft 10, on which the handle 1 ismounted non-rotatively. The pinion gear 12 meshes with the main gear 11.The pinion gear 12, which is tubular and rotates when the handle isturned, is pierced by the horizontally extending spool shaft 15. Themiddle and the rear of the pinion gear 12 are supported rotatively withball bearings 14 a and 14 b by the reel body 2 a. The rotor 3 is mountednon-rotatively on the front end of the pinion gear 12.

Configuration of the Oscillating Mechanism

The oscillating mechanism 6 reciprocates the spool 3 back and forth viathe spool shaft 15 when the handle 1 is turned. As shown in FIGS. 2 to5, the oscillating mechanism 6 includes the pinion gear 12 serving as adrive gear, a stepped gear unit 13 meshing with the pinion gear 12, anda shifting mechanism 17 including a driven helical gear 16 meshing withthe stepped gear unit 13.

The stepped gear unit 13 is provided for gearing-down the rotation ofthe pinion gear 12 and transmitting it to the driven gear 16. Thestepped gear unit 13 is placed in the space behind the partition wall 2g of the tubular portion 2 f. The stepped gear unit 13 is supportedrotatively by the partition wall 2 g on a bearing 18 (see FIG. 4). Thestepped gear unit 13 includes two gears of different size, namely alarger-diameter gear 19 meshing with the pinion gear 12, and asmaller-diameter gear 20 formed unitarily with the large diameter gear19 and meshing with the driven gear 16. The smaller-diameter gear 20 isa helical gear arranged concentrically with the larger-diameter gear 19.

Employing the stepped gear unit 13 having the two gears 19 and 20 inthis way to gear down makes it possible to gear down and reciprocate thespool 4 slowly back and forth by means of a simple gear construction.This means that no special gears need be used, which keeps manufacturingcosts from rising. The rotational axis of the stepped gear unit 13 isarranged in parallel to the rotational axes of the pinion gear 12 andthe driven gear 16, so that it is easy to ensure a high manufacturingprecision. Furthermore, the stepped gear unit 13 is arranged in thetubular portion 2 f of the reel body 2 a, so that it is not necessary toincrease the lateral width of the reel body 2, even though decelerationis performed with the stepped gear unit 13 including the larger-diametergear 19, which is relatively voluminous in the width direction (lateraldirection). Thus, a compact reel can be accomplished.

The pinion gear 12 has eight teeth, and the larger-diameter gear 19 hassixteen teeth, for example. The smaller-diameter gear 20 has five teeth,and the driven gear 16 has fifteen teeth. for example. Thus, thegear-down ratio, which is ratio between the rotation speed of the screwaxis 21 and the rotation speed of the pinion gear 12, is (½)×({fraction(5/15)})=⅙. It is preferable that this gear-down ratio is in the rangeof ¼ to {fraction (1/24)}. If the gear-down ratio is larger than ¼, thenthe shifting speed of the spool 4 becomes too large, and the desiredeffect of winding the fishing line densely around the spool 4 cannot beattained. If the gear-down ratio is smaller than {fraction (1/24)}, thenthe shifting speed of the spool 4 is too slow, and even thin lines arewound twice per rotation of the rotor 3. It should be noted that thenumber of teeth in FIGS. 3 to 5 may not correspond exactly to the aboveexplanations.

The shifting mechanism 17 includes a threaded shaft 21, a slider 22, andguide shafts 24 a and 24 b. The threaded shaft 21 is arranged below thespool shaft 15 and mounted to the front end of the driven gear 16. Theslider 22 moves back and forth along the threaded shaft 21, guided bythe two guide shafts 24 a and 24 b.

The threaded shaft 21 is arranged in parallel to the spool shaft 15, andis supported rotatively in the reel body 2 a. Helical intersectinggrooves 21 a are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the threadedshaft 21. The lead angle θ of the grooves 21 a is set to 20 to 45°.Here, the “lead angle θ” is the angle

θ=arccot(πD/L)

wherein D is the bottom diameter of the grooves 21 a, and the lead L isthe advance length in the axial direction per rotation of the threadedshaft 21. If this lead angle θ is smaller than 20°, the wall thicknessbetween the grooves becomes thin, and the number of groove intersectionsincreases, which is undesirable. On the other hand, if the lead angle θis greater than 45°, the efficiency with which the rotational movementis converted into a linear movement decreases, which is alsoundesirable.

The slider 22 includes a main slider unit 25 and an engaging member 26accommodated in the main slider unit 25. The main slider unit 25 isguided in parallel to the spool shaft 15 by the guide shafts 24 a and 24b. The engaging member 26 is fitted rotatively within the main sliderunit 25, and the front end of the engaging member 26 meshes with thegrooves 21 a in the threaded shaft 21.

Handling and Operating the Reel

When casting with this spinning reel, the bail arm 44 falls from theline-winding position to the line-releasing position. Then, the tackleis cast by swinging the rod. Thus, fishing line is released in a helicalfashion from the front end of the spool 4. In this situation, thefishing line is wound densely around the spool 4, so that there is lowreleasing resistance.

When winding on fishing line, the bail arm 44 is tripped intoline-winding position. This happens automatically due to the action of acam and a spring (not shown in the drawings) when the handle 1 is turnedin the line-winding direction. When the handle 1 is turned in theline-winding direction, its torque is transmitted via the main gearshaft 10 and the main gear 11 to the pinion gear 12. The torquetransmitted to the pinion gear 12 is transmitted over the front portion12 a of the pinion gear 12 to the rotor 3, rotating the rotor 3 in theline-winding direction.

In addition, the stepped gear portion 13 is rotated by thelarger-diameter gear 19 meshing with the pinion gear 12, and thisrotation is transmitted to the driven gear 16 via the small-rotationgear 20. As a result, the threaded shaft 21 is rotated at ⅙ of therotation speed of the pinion gear 12 (rotation speed of the rotor 3).The rotation of the threaded shaft 21 causes the slider 22 meshing withthe grooves 21 a of the threaded shaft 21 to shift in the front-to-reardirection, guided by the guide shafts 24 a and 24 b. Then, the fishingline is guided onto the spool 4 by the bail arm 44 and wound denselyaround the bobbin trunk portion 4 a of the spool 4. Thus, the fishingline can be wound with high efficiency onto the spool 4.

Other Embodiments

(a) The previous embodiment has been explained with an example of atraverse cam oscillating mechanism. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8the present invention can also be applied to a reduction gearoscillating mechanism. Here, elements that are identical and similar tothose in the previous embodiment are denoted by like numerals plus 100.Also, except for the oscillating mechanism 106, explanations regardingstructure and operation have been omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the oscillating mechanism 106 includes a drivegear 110 a formed on a main gear shaft 110 that is formed unitarily withthe main gear 111, a stepped gear unit 113 meshing with the driven gear110 a, and a shifting mechanism 117 including a driven gear 116 meshingwith the smaller-diameter gear 120 of the stepped gear unit 113.

The stepped gear unit 113 and the driven gear 116 are supportedrotatively in the inner side of the rear wall of the reel body 102 a.The stepped gear unit 113 and the driven gear 116 are arranged parallelto the main gear shaft 110. In this embodiment, the larger-diameter gear119 of the stepped gear unit 113 meshes with the drive gear 110 a, andthe smaller-diameter gear 120 meshes with the driven gear 116.

The shifting mechanism 117 includes a driven gear 116 and a slider 122disposed in opposition to the driven gear 116. A cam pin 116 a is formedon the lateral face of the driven gear 116, protruding toward the slider122.

The slider 122 can be shifted back and forth in the reel body 102 a. Theslider 122 is fitted non-rotatively on the rear end of the spool shaft115, and is not shiftable with respect to the spool shaft 115 in theaxial direction. A vertical cam groove 122 a is formed in the lateralface of the slider 122, in opposition to the driven gear 116. The campin 116 a engages with this cam groove 122 a. The length of the camgroove 122 a is a little greater than the rotational diameter of the campin 116 a.

Rotating the main gear shaft 110 in a reduction gear oscillatingmechanism 106 with this configuration, the driven gear 116 is rotatedvia the stepped gear unit 113, and the cam pin 116 a is rotated. Whenthe cam pin 116 a rotates, the slider 122 shifts back and forth sincethe cam pin 116 a is engaged with the cam groove 122 a, thus moving thespool 104 back and forth. Thus, with the stepped gear unit 113, it ispossible to attain a large gear-down ratio with a simple configuration,and to keep the manufacturing costs down, due to this simpleconfiguration for dense winding.

(b) The above embodiments have been described taking an example of afront drag spinning reel, but the present invention can also be appliedto oscillating mechanisms in rear drag spinning reels, for example. Inthat case, the spool shaft is coupled rotatively and axially immovablyto the slider. Moreover, the present invention can also be applied tolever brake type spinning reels and in-spool type spinning reels.

(c) In the above embodiments, the threaded shaft 21 is arranged belowthe spool shaft 15, but it can also be arranged sideways (laterally) orabove it.

(d) In the above embodiments, the rotational axes of thesmaller-diameter gear 20 of the stepped gear unit 13 and of thereduction gear 16 are configured as parallel helical gears, but they canalso be configured so as to transmit a rotational movement between twointersecting or skew rotational axes. For example, the two gears canalso be configured as bevel gears or crossed helical gears with arelatively simple structure.

Through the present invention, rotational gearing-down is accomplishedwith a stepped gear unit of simple structure to reciprocate the spool,making it unnecessary to use special gears, and holding down elevationin manufacturing costs. The rotational axis of the stepped gear unit isarranged in parallel to the rotational axes of the drive gear and thedriven gear, so that it is easy to ensure a high manufacturingprecision.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, to those skilled in the art it will be apparent fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing description of theembodiments according to the present invention is provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A spinning reel reciprocating device forreciprocating a spool back and forth in cooperation with rotation of ahandle furnished on a spinning-reel reel unit to which afishing-line-guiding rotor is rotatively fitted, the handle beingrotatable about a first axis, the spinning reel reciprocating devicecomprising: a drive gear for rotating about a second axis in cooperationwith rotation of the handle, the second axis being skew relative to thefirst axis; a stepped gear unit including a larger-diameter gear meshingwith the drive gear, and a smaller-diameter gear disposed concentricwith the larger-diameter gear and rotating unitarily with thelarger-diameter gear; and a shifting means having a driven gear meshingwith the smaller-diameter gear, for reciprocating the spool by rotationof said driven gear.
 2. The spinning reel reciprocating device as setforth in claim 1: said drive gear being a pinion gear rotating about aspool shaft mounted in the reel unit to permit back and forth travel andforward-endwise onto which the spool is attached; and said shiftingmeans including a threaded shaft non-rotatably onto which the drivengear is mounted, superficially into which intersecting helical groovesare formed, and disposed paralleling the spool shaft; and a slidingelement fitted reciprocatingly to the reel unit, and having an engagerfor engaging with the helical grooves; wherein the spool shaft is fittedat least back-and-forth immovably to the sliding element.
 3. Thespinning reel reciprocating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein: therotor has a barrel portion and a pair of rotor arms extending frontwardfrom the barrel portion rear-endwise, and the reel unit has a tubularportion extending interiorly into the barrel portion; and the steppedgear unit is disposed interiorly in the tubular portion.
 4. The spinningreel reciprocating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the drivegear teeth number is less than the larger-diameter gear teeth number. 5.The spinning reel reciprocating device as set forth in claim 2, whereinthe drive gear teeth number is less than the larger-diameter gear teethnumber.
 6. The spinning reel reciprocating device as set forth in claim1, wherein the drive gear teeth number is less than the larger-diametergear teeth number.
 7. The spinning reel reciprocating device as setforth in claim 6, wherein the driven gear teeth number is greater thanthe smaller-diameter gear teeth number.
 8. A spinning reel, comprising areel unit having a rotor driving mechanism and an oscillating mechanism;a rotor rotatively supported at a front portion of said reel unit; ahandle rotatively supported by said reel unit, said handle beingrotatable about a first axis; and a spool disposed on a front portion ofsaid rotor so as to be shiftable in a front-back direction, said rotordriving mechanism being for transmitting rotation of said handle to saidrotor, said oscillating mechanism being for shifting said spool frontand back in cooperation with rotation of said handle and including apinion gear for rotating about a second axis in cooperation withrotation of said handle, the second axis being skew relative to thefirst axis, a stepped gear unit including a larger-diameter gear meshingwith said pinion gear, and a smaller-diameter gear disposed concentricwith said larger-diameter gear and rotating unitarily with saidlarger-diameter gear, and shifting means having a driven gear meshingwith said smaller-diameter gear, for reciprocating said spool byrotation of said driven gear.
 9. The spinning reel as set forth in claim8, wherein said pinion gear rotates about a spool shaft mounted in saidreel unit so as to shift in the front-back direction, said spool beingattached to a front end of said spool, and said shifting means includesa threaded shaft non-rotatably onto which the driven gear is mounted,superficially into which intersecting helical grooves are formed, anddisposed paralleling the spool shaft; and a sliding element fittedreciprocatingly to the reel unit, and having an engager for engagingwith the helical grooves, said sliding element being fitted to saidspool shaft so as to be immovable in the front-back direction relativeto said spool shaft.
 10. The spinning reel as set forth in claim 9,wherein said rotor has a barrel portion and a pair of rotor armsextending frontward from and end portion of said barrel portion, saidreel unit has a tubular portion extending interiorly into said barrelportion, and said stepped gear unit is disposed interiorly in saidtubular portion.
 11. The spinning reel as set forth in claim 10, whereina teeth number of said pinion gear is less than a teeth number of saidlarger-diameter gear.
 12. The spinning reel as set forth in claim 9,wherein a teeth number of said pinion gear is less than a teeth numberof said larger-diameter gear.
 13. The spinning reel reciprocating deviceas set forth in claim 8, wherein a teeth number of said pinion gear isless than a teeth number of said larger-diameter gear.
 14. The spinningreel as set forth in claim 13, wherein a teeth number of said drivengear teeth number is greater than a teeth number of saidsmaller-diameter gear.